Bad Chomance
by Samantha Violet
Summary: It's the year of the Triwizard Tournament, and Cho Chang has made a new friend, but will she get her man? A very silly love story. AU.
1. Chapter 1: Cho's Champion

A/N: This is an alternate universe story set during Harry's fourth and Cho's fifth year at Hogwarts. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: These are JKR's playthings, not mine.

Bad Cho-mance

Chapter 1 – Cho's Champion

The dragon swooped through the air, in pursuit of the young man on the broomstick. He dodged its talons as he focused on the golden egg, just out of his reach. In the stands, Cho Chang was watching his every move, playing nervously with her robes and muttering "don't let it get Harry, oh please don't let it get Harry!" The dragon shot out a jet of fire from its nostrils, missing Harry by an inch. Cho squealed, and hid her face in her hands. "I can't watch any more, Cecile," she said to the girl sitting beside her. Cecile tutted at her friend's foolishness, but Cho did not remove her hands.

Ten minutes later, a loud cheer went up from the crowd, as Ludo Bagman's magnified voice announced Harry's triumph: he had got the golden egg. "I think you can open your eyes now, Cho," Cecile said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Cho breathed a sigh of relief, and watched happily as Harry, safe and sound, was awarded points by the judges. Along with her relief, though, she felt a pang of longing and regret. Never had her urge to run and fling her arms around Harry been stronger, but she knew she must resist – she had not yet been brave enough to find out whether Harry reciprocated her feelings. Besides, she didn't want to make herself look like a crazy person in front of the entire school, not to mention the foreign visitors and Ministry representatives. So she restrained herself, but her heart beat faster and faster as she looked at Harry, flushed with pride, surrounded by his friends. It was not until she felt Cecile tugging impatiently at her sleeve that she realised most of the other Ravenclaws had left the stands already.

"Wasn't Harry magnificent?" Cho said to Cecile late on, as they sipped butterbeer together in front of the fire in the Ravenclaw common room.

"I thought Fleur was much better," Cecile replied. "The judges were very unfair to 'er."

Cho couldn't hold back a laugh. "Are you being serious? Fleur was rubbish!"

Cecile glared, and Cho decided not to say any more on the subject. Fleur was Cecile's classmate at Beauxbatons, and they had known each other since they were small.

"You should be supporting Fleur in this tournament, not that little boy," Cecile said.

"Hey, he's not little! He's only a year younger than me," Cho replied, and she could feel her face growing hot. She hadn't confessed her feelings for Harry to anyone, but they were growing stronger by the day.

" 'E is too young to be a Triwizard champion," Cecile said.

Although Cecile undoubtedly had a point, Cho felt compelled to defend Harry. "He's as much a champion as anyone in the Tournament! More so! Weren't you watching him earlier?" Cho's face was growing hot again.

Cecile laughed now. "I certainly watched more than you did! You 'ad your eyes closed for 'alf of the time!"

"Well ... that's true ... but ... shut up!" Cho said crossly.

Cecile looked into Cho's eyes, and suddenly grinned widely.

"Oh, mon dieu! You love 'im!"

Cho fiddled with her sleeve. "Oh do shut up, Cecile."

Cecile did not shut up. "You do! You love little 'Arry Potter! Ah, that is so sweet!"

Cho looked up at Cecile, and sighed. "Well, I wouldn't use the word 'love', but -"

Cecile clapped her hands eagerly. "You must ask 'im on a date!"

"Ummm ... well ... I've thought about it. A lot, actually," Cho admitted. "I just don't feel, you know ... confident enough, I guess." She reddened, and turned her face away from her friend.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Cecile said, in her most encouraging voice. "I can 'elp you."

"Do you mean you'll ask him out for me?" Cho asked eagerly, turning back to face Cecile.

The French girl laughed. "No, that would not work," she said, pushing some of her auburn curls out of her face. "You see, I am so beautiful that of course 'Arry would choose me over you, non?"

Cho wasn't quite sure whether Cecile was joking, but she scowled anyway. "In that case, how can you help me, pray tell?"

"Simple. You need to change the way you look and dress. The better you look, the more confidence you will 'ave, and 'Arry will like you more, too."

"I think I look okay now," Cho said, slightly hurt.

"Looking okay will not 'elp you in life, my friend. You must look fabulous. Come with me – we will start straight away!"

Cecile skipped happily off to the dormitories. Cho sighed, and followed her reluctantly. Cecile had clearly made up her mind, and there was no way of getting out of this now ...


	2. Chapter 2: Cho's Change

A/N: This is an AU Cho/Harry romance. Read chapter 1 first!

Disclaimer: JKR's toys.

Chapter Two – Cho's Change

Cho sat on her four-poster bed in the Ravenclaw dormitories, watching with apprehension as Cecile sorted through her trunk of clothes. Cecile kept casting things aside and muttering to herself in French.

"Um, Cecile, what are you doing?" Cho asked.

"I am looking for the perfect – aha!"

Cecile turned around, smiling triumphantly and holding up one of Cho's favourite dress robes.

Cho smiled too. "Yes, I like that one."

"This dress will be perfect for Transfiguration," Cecile said.

Cho looked doubtful. "You think so? That's a dress robe; I don't think McGonagall would be too happy if I turned up to Transfiguration wearing that."

Cecile shook her head. "You misunderstand me. Maybe my English is not so good. Watch."

As Cho watched in silence, Cecile tapped the robe with her wand, and it transformed into something else entirely. Cecile turned to Cho, and grinned. "What do you think?"

Cho was slightly dumbfounded. "Did – did you just Transfigure my favourite robe into a PVC catsuit?"

"It's chic, non? Try it on!"

"Er, I don't think so ..."

"Oh, come on, Cho! What's the problem?"

Cho blushed. "It's really not my style. And what if someone else comes in?"

Right on queue, the dormitory door opened and two of Cecile's fellow Beauxbatons pupils came in. Cho looked sharply at Cecile, desperately hoping that she would put the catsuit away before anyone else saw it. Cecile did not do this. Instead, she went over to Anais and Virginie, showed the catsuit to them, and the three girls began discussing it in French. Cho didn't understand what they were saying, but she could tell that Anais and Virginie admired the garment. Now she was outnumbered three to one.

"Please, Cho, try it on," Cecile said, and Anais and Virginie nodded vigorously.

Cho sighed, defeated. "If I must. But I'm going into the bathroom to change."

Five minutes later, Cho looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, and saw a complete stranger looking back. Cecile knocked, and entered.

"You look amazing!" She exclaimed.

"I look like a dominatrix," Cho said flatly.

"Exactly! You are sexy! Men like sex, and 'Arry is a man, non?"

Cho blushed harder than ever. "What do you expect me to do – walk around the halls of Hogwarts like this? Sorry, but no. Try again, Cecile."

Cecile, never one to back down from a challenge, nodded determinedly, and went back to sorting through Cho's trunk of clothes.

It wasn't long before almost all of Cho's outfits had been Transfigured beyond recognition. Her summer dress robe had become a leopard print mini-dress, which Cecile had pronounced 'fetching' and Cho had pronounced 'vile'. Her long, practical weekend robe was now a velvet trouser suit in an unfortunate shade of mauve. And much to Cho's annoyance, her only pair of Quidditch boots had become a pair of kitten heels so impractical that even the graceful Cecile had stumbled when she tried to walk in them.

"This," Cho declared at last, throwing down a green lacy shawl in disgust, "is ridiculous. Cecile, you're my friend and you know I love you, but I'm sorry, you have the taste of a 65-year-old ex-lapdancer with cataracts."

"Hmph," said Cecile, but she otherwise ignored Cho completely, and continued picking up clothes and flicking her wand.

"I mean it, Cecile," Cho said, in what she hoped was a threatening tone. "Stop mutilating my clothes before I'm left with nothing to wear at all!"

"Well, that is one option," Cecile replied, and she gave Cho a cheeky wink.

Cho glowered.

"Anyway, I think I 'ave finally discovered something you will like," Cecile went on. "Look 'ere – nice, non?"

It was nice. Cho finally had to concede that much.

Cecile clapped her hands together in satisfaction. "Excellent! Now, we must make a start on your 'air ..."

Half an hour later, the person looking back at Cho in the mirror was still a stranger, but this time she felt it was a stranger she wouldn't mind getting to know. She was wearing a black wraparound skirt with little silver stars. Her top was red silk embroidered with birds and flowers, in traditional Chinese style – Cho's mother often wore something very similar on special occasions, although it wasn't as nice as this. Cecile had made up Cho's face – Cho couldn't normally be bothered with the fuss of applying lipstick or foundation, But Cecile had done it skilfully, and Cho had to admit she rather liked the effect. Cecile had charmed Cho's hair into an elegant pile on top of her head, and topped it off with a large purple iris. Finally, there were the shoes – Cecile had failed in her mission to get Cho to wear heels, so instead Cho sported a pair of elegant black flats.

"You look gorgeous," Cecile said approvingly. "I 'ave done very well."

"You have," Cho said. "I look ... different, but I think I like it."

"Now you must go and talk to 'Arry!"

"Now? It's nearly midnight!"

"Okay, okay, not now, but as soon as it is possible."

Cecile kissed Cho on both cheeks, wished her goodnight, and trotted off to the dorm upstairs, where the Beauxbatons girls were sleeping.

Cho slept uneasily that night. She couldn't stop worrying about how she was going to approach the situation with Harry. Did he even know she existed? Cho was sure that he did – she couldn't have been imagining those looks he had given her before their most recent Quidditch match. And if he liked her anyway, was Cecile's lavish makeover really necessary? Cho debated the issue with herself as she fell asleep, and when she woke up she found she had made a decision. It wasn't a decision Cecile would like, but frankly, Cecile could shove it. This was Cho's love life, not hers.

As usual, Cecile seated herself next to Cho at the Ravenclaw table at breakfast. Cho wondered how long it would take before Cecile brought up the subject of Harry. The answer was four and a half seconds.

"'Ave you seen 'Arry yet today?" Cecile asked.

Cho sighed. "It's not even eight thirty yet, Cecile. What am I supposed to do, go up to him and ask him out while he's drinking his pumpkin juice?"

Cecile laughed. "No, of course not! You must change into your new outfit first!"

Cho took a deep breath. "About that ... I'm not so sure it's a good idea any more."

Cecile just looked at her for a moment, puzzled. "Pardon?"

"The thing is, I've been thinking about it, and I've realised that I want Harry to like me for who I am," Cho continued, a note of defiance in her voice. "I don't want him to fall for a fake."

"But your new look does not make you a fake! It makes you – what is the word – enhanced," Cecile insisted. "I was only trying to 'elp you." The French girl looked crestfallen.

Cho didn't want her friend to be hurt. "I know that, Cecile, and I'm grateful, I really am," she said. "But let me try it my way, okay? I know Harry isn't that shallow."

And, desperately trying to silence the voice in her head telling her all 14-year-old boys were that shallow, Cho looked up at Harry, talking and laughing with his friends at the Gryffindor table, and began to plan her attack.


	3. Chapter 3: Cho's Chagrin

A/N – Sorry it's been so long since the last update. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please review!

Chapter Three – Cho's Chagrin

"Harry!"

It had taken a long time for Cho to build up the courage to call his name. Since the first task, Harry was more popular than ever – and now that the Yule Ball had been announced, almost every female in Hogwarts was competing for his attention, from the first years up to and including the teaching staff. But Cho had decided to be brave. If she didn't ask him, she would never know whether he truly liked her, and deep down, she truly believed that he did.

So she had waited outside the library, where she knew he had been studying with that Hermione Granger, a girl Cho regarded with some suspicion. When the pair of them eventually emerged, and Cho called out Harry's name, he turned around.

"Oh, hi, Cho." He gave a small smile, and Cho's brow began to sweat.

"I'll meet you in the common room, Harry," said Hermione, and she walked off, her arms full of books. Cho and Harry were alone at last. Looking into his eyes, Cho suddenly forgot her carefully planned speech, and began to babble like an idiot.

"Umm ... Err ... hi, Harry!"

Harry laughed. "Hi, Cho. I think I already said that, didn't I?"

Cho laughed much louder and longer than was necessary, and Harry looked bemused. "Are you OK?" He asked.

Cho stopped laughing abruptly, and went bright red. "I, um. I, um. Oh shoot, this is coming out all wrong ..."

"Cho, breathe. Relax. Do you want a glass of water?"

Cho wanted to cry. Here she was, standing in front of the man of her dreams, acting like a complete basket case. She might as well just say it now. Things could hardly get any worse.

"Will you go to the ball with me, Harry?" She asked, all in one breath.

Harry's face fell. Suddenly Cho wanted to cry even more. Her chest felt tight – was she even breathing?

"I'm really sorry, Cho, but I can't. I've already promised Ron that I'll take his sister; she's a third year, you see, she wouldn't be able to go otherwise. Sorry."

"C – can't someone else take her?" Cho was actually shaking now.

"Well, he's my best mate, and I did make a promise. Apparently Ginny's really excited about going with me. I can't exactly back out of it now. Oh Cho, don't cry ..."

"I'm not crying!" Cho's voice has gone very high, and tears were running down her face. "I'm fine! It's fine! I'll go with someone else! Bye then!" And, leaving Harry looking extremely bewildered, Cho ran off back to the Ravenclaw common room.

"How many roads must a man walk down?" Asked the eagle-shaped door handle.

"Seven," Cho replied, and the door swung back to let her in.

Cecile was sitting at a table near the window, chatting in French with Anais and Virginie. When she saw the stricken expression on Cho's face, Cecile leaped up and ran over to her friend.

"Cho! What 'as 'appened?"

"I asked Harry. He said no. He's going with his stupid friend's stupid little sister." Cho wiped away a tear.

Cecile put her arms around Cho, and stroked her long hair. Cho sobbed into Cecile's shoulder. After a while, she had calmed down, and she let go of Cecile and wiped her eyes on the back of her hand.

"Can we go and talk over there?" She asked.

Cecile nodded, and the two girls went and sat in the armchairs by the fire.

"I think you were right, you know," Cho said.

"Right about what?"

"The makeover. I was wrong – Harry clearly doesn't like me for me, or if he does, he's doing a very good job of hiding it." Cho couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice. "Maybe he'll like me better when I'm all dolled up. Maybe he won't. But I think it's the only chance I've got."

Cecile smiled. "You would like me to make you over again?"

Cho thought for a moment. "Yes," she said, "but not now. Let's wait until the night of the Yule Ball."

...

Cho had never seen the castle so lavishly decorated. She had always enjoyed the Hogwarts Christmas decorations, but this year, in honour of the foreign visitors, they had really pulled out all the stops. Cho and Cecile came down to the common room on Christmas morning to find the bookshelves draped with holly and ivy made from everlasting ice, the statue of Ravenclaw singing Christmas carols in a beautiful soprano, and house elves dressed as Santa and his reindeer distributing presents to the sleepy Ravenclaw students. But Cho was finding it hard to get into the Christmas spirit. She was too worried about the Yule Ball, to take place that evening, Anything could happen, so many things could go wrong, but she still clung to the hope and belief that the evening would end with her in Harry's arms.

"Here you go, miss," squeaked a small house elf wearing false antlers and a red nose, holding out a package to Cho.

For one wild moment, Cho thought it might be a present from Harry, and her heart leaped. Then she read the label, and saw that it was from her parents. Of course. Trying not to feel too disappointed, Cho peeled away the brown paper, and pulled back several layers of purple tissue to reveal a beautiful brooch shaped like a butterfly. Cho smiled. She would wear it to the ball.

Christmas day went by in a blur of tinsel, turkey and butterbeer, and suddenly the evening was upon them. Cho and Cecile were preparing for the ball together, surrounded by a gaggle of excited girls in the Ravenclaw dormitories. Almost everyone had stayed behind this year, and although in some ways Cho would have preferred to be alone to compose her thoughts, in other ways she was grateful for the distraction their chatter provided. She was once again wearing the Chinese top and the skirt with the silver stars, and now Cecile was working on her hair, trying to style it in ways that defied gravity. Her new butterfly brooch was pinned over her chest.

"Are you sure Harry will want to dance with me?" Cho asked.

Cecile laughed. "'Ow many times 'ave you asked me this today?"

"Um, eight, I think. I'm just getting really nervous." Cho drummed her fingers on the bed.

"Relax, Cho. And remember, you must not ask 'im to dance, you must wait for 'im to ask you."

"But what if he doesn't ask me?"

"Then 'e is an idiot. You look beautiful, Cho, and if I was a boy, I would fight one of 'Agrid's Skrewts for the chance to dance with you."

Cho blushed.

...

It felt like a punch in the stomach as Cho watched Harry walk into the Great Hall, Ginny Weasley on his arm, together with the other champions and their dates. Fleur was with Roger Davies, whom Cho knew from the Ravenclaw Quidditch team – nice enough guy, if a bit stuck up. Viktor Krum of Durmstrang was accompanied by – surely that couldn't be Hermione Granger? And Cedric Diggory, a Hufflepuff Cho didn't know very well, was with a pretty Beauxbatons girl. Cecile huffed when she saw him, and Cho suspected she would rather Cedric has asked _her_ instead.

As she watched Harry waltzing with with Ginny around the hall, occasionally treading on her toes, Cho felt a pang of jealousy – but then reminded herself that by the end of the evening she would be in Ginny's place. She could put up with a few sore toes if it meant being in Harry's arms.

"'E is not very graceful," Cecile remarked dismissively.

"Cecile, he saved the Wizarding world when he was a year old. He could have three left feet for all I care."

"Ah, excuse me. I forgot you were blinded by love." Cecile gave Cho a wink.

"Hey – I told you, it's not love! I'd just ... quite like ... to be his girlfriend, that's all."

"This red'ead could be an obstacle in our campaign," Cecile said, eyeing Ginny with displeasure.

"Ginny Weasley? I don't think so. She's just a kid – he's doing a favour for Ron, that's all." But Cho suddenly didn't feel very confident in her assertions, and she downed her glass of Firewhisky in one.

The evening wore on, and Cho consumed more and more Firewhisky (which had been smuggled in by a Durmstrang student under the noses of the teachers). Eventually, she spotted Harry sitting alone. This was her moment. Cho smoothed down a few stray hairs, adjusted her skirt, and staggered over towards him.

"Heeeeey. Harry," she slurred, just about managing to seat herself next to him without falling on the floor.

"Oh, hey Cho. Enjoying the ball?"

"It's not bad, I guess. Don't think much of this music, though. I prefer classical music, Harry. I'm really very intelligent, you know. Wit without measure is more than a treasure, or ... something."

"Okay then. Um, Cho, are you drunk?"

"No."

Cho and Harry sat in silence for a few minutes. Even in her drunken state, Cho remembered Cecile's advice – she mustn't ask Harry to dance, she must wait for him to ask her.

So she waited.

"Shame there's no Quidditch this year, isn't it? I really miss being out there on the pitch," Harry said.

Cho nodded. And waited.

"Then again, in a way I'm glad Krum isn't getting to see me play. He really puts me to shame."

"You're a really excellent Quidditch player, Harry," Cho said.

She smiled at him – and waited.

"Well, I'm not bad. The thing is, Krum is an expert at all these techniques that i haven't even -"

"OH FOR THE LOVE OF MERLIN, WHY WON'T YOU ASK ME TO DANCE?"

Cho had gone bright red with anger. As most of the people in the hall turned their heads to see what had caused such an outburst, Harry turned bright red with embarrassment.

"Cho ... can you keep your voice down?"

Tears were streaming down Cho's blotchy cheeks. "I thought you liked me, Harry! I REALLY THOUGHT YOU DID!"

"I do, Cho, I do. Just calm down, and we can talk ..."

But nothing could stop Cho's tirade now.

"I made an EFFORT for you!" She sobbed. "I got my French friend Cecile to give me a makeover! I am SO PRETTY tonight Harry, and you don't even care! You just want that STUPID WEASLEY instead! Well, sod you! I though I knew you!"

"Cho!"

But before he could stop her, Cho had fled from the great hall. Cecile, her concern for her friend overriding her embarrassment at the scene, ran out after her.

Cho had made it as far as the third floor before Cecile caught up with her.

"Cho, please stop running!" Cecile called out. "Talk to me about what 'as 'appened!"

Cho stopped, and turned towards her friend, her eyes bloodshot and puffy.

"Oh, Cecile ..."

Before either of them really knew what was happening, Cho had launched herself on Cecile, and was kissing her. After a moment, Cecile managed to wriggle free.

"Cho! What are you doing?"

Cho looked almost as if she had lost her mind. "Cecile, you love me. You're the only one who loves me!"

"But not like that! Cho, you need to sit down and 'ave some water, we can talk about what 'appened with 'Arry ..."

At the mention of Harry's name, Cho burst into tears again, and resumed running towards the Ravenclaw dormitories.

The eagle-shaped door handle was ready, as ever, with a question, but when it saw Cho's distressed state, it decided that now was not the time for logic, and allowed her to pass through.

Cho ran up the dormitory stairs, collapsed on her bed, and proceeded to cry herself to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Cho's Chance

A/N - Sorry it's been so long since the last update. Enjoy!

Chapter Four - Cho's Chance

Cho was still fast asleep. At least, Cecile hoped she was just asleep, and not comatose. She hadn't seen her friend even twitch during the two hours she herself had been awake.

Cecile thought back on the previous night's events. What could Cho have possibly been thinking? Acting like a drunken fool was no way to attract a man - at least, not where Cecile came from. Knowing that Cho would have more to deal with than just a headache when she finally came round, Cecile left a glass of water on her bedside table, and crept out of the dormitory.

Cecile knew that Harry would almost certainly be in the Gryffindor common room with his friends, discussing the events of the Yule Ball. She fervently hoped that Harry hadn't been too offended by Cho's outburst. It was important that their campaign to win Harry for Cho should succeed - now more than ever.

'Password?' Asked the Fat Lady in the portrait which concealed the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.

"I do not 'ave it," Cecile explained. "I am from Beauxbatons, you see, and we are sharing dorms with the Ravenclaws ..."

The Fat Lady cut her off. "I can't let you in, I'm afraid. Please stand aside."

"I just wish to speak to 'Arry Potter," Cecile pleaded.

"Rules are rules, mademoiselle," the Fat Lady replied, in a comedy French accent that made Cecile's blood boil. Fortunately for her, a random Gryffindor sixth year was approaching the portrait.

"Excuse me, would you fetch 'Arry Potter for me?" Cecile asked, fluttering her eyelashes coquettishly. The random Gryffindor blushed, and nodded.

A few minutes later, Harry climbed out of the portrait hole, looking distracted. He seemed surprised to see Cecile waiting there.

"Um ... hi," he said, uncertainly. "Can I help you?"

Cecile smiled again, but this time she strove to keep it non-flirty. Harry was for Cho, not for her.

"'Arry, my name is Cecile," she explained. "I am from Beauxbatons. May we 'ave a talk?"

"What about?"

"I am a friend of Cho."

"Ah. Right." Harry looked down at his shoes, and scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Let's walk," Cecile instructed, and somewhat reluctantly, Harry followed her through the corridors and out into the grounds of Hogwarts.

Cecile spoke first. It was apparent that Harry was still feeling extremely awkward about the Yule Ball, and that he would never have initiated the conversation.

"'Arry, Cho feels terrible about what 'appened last night," she lied. She had no idea how Cho was feeling - as far as she knew, Cho was still unconscious. But she had to elicit Harry's sympathy and forgiveness, otherwise this was never going to work.

"Yeah - it took me rather by surprise, I have to admit," Harry said. "She was drunk, wasn't she?"

"Extremely. But she understands that that is no excuse for 'er actions, and she is sorry. She really likes you, 'Arry."

Cecile looked into Harry's eyes. His expression was unreadable. After he hadn't said anything for about five minutes, Cecile was becoming impatient, and she decided to get straight to the point.

"Do you know what 'appened after Cho left the Ball last night, 'Arry?" Before giving him a chance to reply, she continued. "She kissed me."

That got Harry's attention.

"Kissed you? Like, on the mouth?"

"Yes. But please stop your fantasies, 'Arry - there is nothing between me and Cho but friendship. She kissed me because she was lonely. I think she needs a boyfriend." Cecile gave him a meaningful look.

"Me?"

"Of course, 'Arry. Do you not like 'er?"

"I do, I do, she's, um, very attractive, it's just that this is all a bit sudden, that's all. I only know her from Quidditch matches, really. And um, I've sort of promised Ginny that I'll take her to Hogsmeade next week." He looked at his shoes again.

Cecile gave a derisory laugh. "The little Weasley? Forget 'er! You don't need a little girl, 'Arry. You need a woman."

"Hey, Ginny's not that bad," Harry protested.

"But is she clever, and fluent in twelve languages, and ... experienced?" Cecile gave Harry a wink.

Harry flushed bright red. "Fine, fine. If it'll shut you up, I'll take Cho out on one date, and see how it goes."

Cecile clapped her hands with joy.

...

Cho could hardly believe her luck. Somehow, even despite her appalling behaviour at the Yule Ball (which still made her want to curl up in the foetal position and cry, nearly a week later), Harry had asked her out. It was as if Merlin himself had intervened.

Harry had explained that they wouldn't be able to go to Hogsmeade together that weekend, as he had urgent business with Ron and Hermione, so instead, Cho had arranged a surprise - and today was the day. A few soft flakes of snow were falling as she waited for Harry out in the courtyard, her Nimbus 2000 in her hand. She was almost shaking with excitement - or it might have been the cold. Either way, it didn't matter. She had Harry all to herself for a whole afternoon. She felt giddier than a Cornish pixie.

Eventually, Harry emerged, carrying his Firebolt as she had instructed. He gave her a nervous peck on the cheek, glancing furtively around him before he did so.

"Looking for something?" Cho asked.

"I, um, I was just making sure Ginny wasn't around," Harry admitted. Cho felt a spike of jealousy for a second, but then Harry took her hand, and it was gone.

"What exactly have you got planned, anyway?" He asked.

Cho smiled. "Follow me."

She mounted her broom, and kicked off from the frozen ground.

...

"This was a great idea," Harry said.

The two of them were sitting on the banks of a Scottish loch, miles and miles from Hogwarts

castle. There were probably no other people for miles around.

Cho smiled. "I came on holiday here once, with my parents. I thought we could do with a nice secluded spot, just you and me."

"It's relaxing," Harry said. "I can almost forget about Professor Snape while I'm sitting here."

"I wish the weather were nicer. Although the snow does make it ... romantic, I suppose."

Cho looked into Harry's eyes. She couldn't read him. Did he want the same thing she did? Even if he didn't, it wasn't that important, she reflected. Not at this stage, anyway. She still had lots of time to win him over, and for now, they could just sit back and enjoy the view.

Before she had time to finish this thought, Harry kissed her.

At first, Cho was too shocked to reciprocate. Then, registering the warm, soft feel of Harry's mouth, she began to kiss him back with enthusiasm. Before long, they had their arms wrapped around each other, and Harry was untying the back of Cho's robe ...

...

It had been three weeks since their date by the loch, and Cho was worried. Since taking her virginity, Harry had barely spoken to her. Was that all he had wanted her for, after all? She had thought that Harry was better than that.

She passed him in the corridor several times a day, between various classes, and whenever he saw her, he cast his eyes downward. Each time, Cho grew a little angrier. Was he ashamed of her? Of what they had done? She knew she could have really hurt him by spreading rumours about him and his performance throughout the school, but she wasn't vindictive like that. Instead, she kept her anger in a capsule inside of her, occasionally venting to Cecile to stop herself from exploding.

One day, as she was rounding the corridor that led off from the library, she found herself literally nose to nose with Harry - she almost knocked his glasses off. And he was alone. Cho smiled to herself. He couldn't avoid her now.

"Hello, Harry," she said calmly.

Harry looked embarrassed. "Um, hi, Cho. Long time, no see."

"Why haven't you been speaking to me, Harry?" Cho demanded. "I think you've been avoiding me."

Harry obviously knew that he was cornered. "Can we go somewhere more private?" He whispered.

"Um, no, actually," Cho said huffily. "The thing is, I'm really angry with you, and I want to have this out, right here, right now. So tell me - why have you been avoiding me since we -"

"Shut up!" Harry hissed. "Gin - I mean, someone might hear you."

Cho's heart sank. "Ginny? Is that what this is all about?"

Harry sighed. "I'm sorry, Cho. I should have told you before. You see, me and Ginny, we're sort of together now, and I -"

"You can't be sort of together," Cho protested. "You're either together, or you're not."

Harry sighed. "Fine. We're together. I'm really sorry, Cho, I should have told you before, but I knew you'd be really upset, and ..."

Harry looked up. Cho was no longer standing in front of him. She had run off down the corridor in tears.

...

Cho knocked on the door of the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey answered.

"Is it urgent, dear?" She asked. "It's just that I've got five second years in here with oozing pustules on their faces - bad herbology accident."

"Um, I think it might be urgent, actually," Cho mumbled.

"What is it, dear?"

Cho didn't meet Madam Pomfrey's eyes as she asked her question.

"Can you give me a pregnancy test?"


	5. Chapter 5: Cho's Children

Chapter 5 - Cho's Children

Months had passed, and a lot had happened in the intervening time. The Dark Lord Voldemort had returned, and Harry had escaped from him. Cecile had gone back to France along with the other Beauxbatons students. A new school year had begun. And Cho had grown to the size of a large cauldron.

She hadn't been able to hide her pregnancy from the other students and teachers for long. Harry had been the first person she had told, even before Cecile. It was only fair, after all. It was his child. He had taken the news more calmly than Cho had expected. Ginny, on the other hand, had flown completely off the handle, and had vowed not to buy any presents for the baby. When Cho pointed out that she hadn't been expecting any presents from Ginny, Ginny stalked off in a huff.

But all that was in the past, and now, as Cho lay on a soft bed in the hospital wing, all she could think about was her child's future. Was she really cut out to be a mother, especially in this new, post-Voldemort-resurrection world? And could she rely on Harry for support?

Madam Pomfrey was fussing around her, bringing hot water and towels and muttering under her breath about underage witches these days. There was nobody else in the hospital wing that day. Cho wished that Cecile could have been there to hold her hand.

Harry came running breathlessly into the room. "I heard it was time," he said. "I'm not too late, am I?"

Cho rolled her eyes. "Relax, Harry. It'll be a few hours yet."

"Oh." Harry sounded disappointed. "It's just that Professor Snape let me skip Potions to come here ..."

"You can stick around," Cho assured him. "Until Potions is over, at least."

"Excellent. I mean, um, I can't wait to see my new baby."

Cho rolled her eyes again.

Over the next few hours, Ron, Hermione, Hagrid and several of Cho's fellow Ravenclaws had made their way up to the hospital wing. Nothing stays quiet around here for long, thought Cho, slightly annoyed at the way everyone was gawping at her.

Eventually, Cho began to scream quite loudly, and Madam Pomfrey put up a curtain around her.

Cho pushed. Madam Pomfrey announced that she could see the head. Minutes later, Cho had a daughter.

Madam Pomfrey pulled the curtain back, and announced to the assembled crowd, "It's a girl!"

Everyone immediately began cooing and fussing over the new baby, ignoring Cho's cries of "Hello...?" and "Umm... excuse me?" and "Ow! Bloody Merlin!"

Eventually Madam Pomfrey looked up, and asked, "Are you okay, dear?"

"I still want to push," Cho explained.

Curiously, Madam Pomfrey felt Cho's lower abdomen. "Whoops!" She said.

Cho glared at her. "'Whoops'? What the bloody Hell does 'whoops' mean?"

"I think there might be another one in there," Madam Pomfrey explained. "Silly me, I must have missed it."

Moments later, Cho had two daughters.

Once the babies had been cleaned up, and everyone had recovered from the unexpected turn of events, Cho got a good look at her daughters for the first time. They both, unsurprisingly, had black hair. The thin one had Cho's brown eyes, and the chubby one had Harry's green. In her head, Cho named the brown eyed baby Mina, and the green eyes baby Nina. But she sighed as she looked at them. Then she looked up at their father.

"Harry," she said, "please answer me honestly. Do you think we'll ever be together again?"

Harry looked down at his feet. "Sorry, Cho. I wish we could be, for the sake of the babies, but I've sort of promised Ginny I'll marry her, and you know what she's like."

Cho nodded. "Fair enough. And I know for damn sure that I can't raise two kids on my own. I want to give them away to a nice couple ... if that's okay with you, Harry?"

"Which couple?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure yet."

"How about Remus and Sirius?" Said Ron. "I'm sure they'd love to adopt some kids."

"But Remus and Sirius aren't a couple," said Harry, sounding confused.

Everyone, including Cho's Ravenclaw friends, looked at Harry like he was an idiot. Realisation gradually dawned on his face.

"Wait - what? Seriously? How come I'm the last one to know? He's my godfather!"

"It was a ridiculous suggestion anyway, Ron," said Hermione. "Sirius is a wanted fugitive, remember?"

"Oh yeah."

Ignoring Ron and Hermione's bickering, Cho looked around her, at the faces surrounding her and the new babies. One face stood out, literally, head and shoulders above the rest.

"Hagrid," Cho said hesitantly, "Cecile mentioned to me that you and Madame Maxime were seeing each other. Is that true?"

Hagrid blushed, and turned away.

"Dunno what yer talkin' about," he muttered.

Cho smiled. "I only asked because I wondered if you'd consider taking the babies," she said. "I've heard that Dumbledore trusts you with his life, and that's good enough for me."

Hermione looked unsure, but Harry and Ron were grinning.

"That's a brilliant idea, Cho!" Harry said. "Go on, Hagrid. Please."

Hagrid picked up a baby in each of his giant hands. His eyes began to fill with tears.

Madam Pomfrey closed the curtains around the bed again. "Right," she said, "Miss Chang needs her sleep. Everybody out. NOW!"


	6. Chapter 6: Cho's Choice

Chapter 6 - Cho's Choice

Summer had come again, with the sun bathing the Hogwarts grounds in light. The students were all lining up in Hogsmeade to board the Hogwarts Express, which would take them back home for the holidays. Cho looked back at Hogwarts wistfully, trying to memorise every detail. Although she had a year of her magical education still to go, she knew she wouldn't be coming back.

The babies were living at Hogwarts now, with Hagrid and Madame Maxime. Although it was a real wrench to be leaving them behind, Cho knew that it was for the best. She needed to be as far away from the babies, and Harry, as possible.

From London, Cho got the train down to Portsmouth, where she boarded a ferry across the channel. Reflecting on how much easier journeys like this would be after she passed her Apparition test, Cho tried to relax, enjoy the journey, and focus on everything she was travelling towards, not what she was leaving behind.

Cecile met her at the dock. "Bonjour, Cho!" She cried. "Welcome to France!"

Cho kissed her friend on both cheeks. "Bonjour, Cecile. Long time, no see."

The two girls walked off arm in arm, talking and laughing, towards the house where Cecile and her parents lived. Cho would be staying there over the summer, and then, in the autumn, she would be joining the seventh year at Beauxbatons.

This whole episode had taught Cho a lot about what was important to her in life - study, friendship, and peace. It had also taught her a lot about romance. She had loved Harry, truly - but he had let her down. When romance is good, it can be the best thing in the world. When it's bad, though, you're better off without it.

THE END


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